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Friday, August 07, 2009

Wound Healing with Vitamin C and Niacin

Extensive scientific data has proven that high doses of vitamin C and niacin speed wound healing. Read more here.

As a result of the science, I've changed my behavior. Vitamin C and niacin are now central to my first aid efforts. Niacin is now available as a cream. Whenever I get a scratch, scrape, slice, or minor burn I treat the wound with niacin and vitamin C creams. The expensive creams are really nice and I find them worth the extra money. However, I don't believe they are necessary. I also treat wounds with crushed niacin and vitamin C tablets. I rub the powder into the skin around the wound with water, antibiotic cream, or any other kind of appropriate cream. I've been doing this with bruises, pulled muscles, and aching joints as well. My daughter pulled muscles in her neck last weekend. I bought the anelgesic cream from the pharmacy and used it to run in niacin and vitamin C powders. Rubbing niacin powder into an aching joint is nice because the niacin causes the skin it is rubbed into to flush which brings a soothing warm feeling to the injured area. I can imagine that some people would feel discomforted by the flush. They should use the niacin cream which releases slowly over time and does not cause flushing.

Vitamin C is commonly used by people suffering from a cold. I believe that much of the benefit is from accelerated wound healing. The cold virus injures lung, throat, and nasal tissues. Anything that speeds the healing of these tissues reduces the duration and severity of the infection.

Topical application of vitamin C and niacin is virtually risk free. I've written previously that vitamin C and niacin injections into wounded tissues will likely prove to be the optimal treatment for many types of serious wounds. I've never tried this on myself, and hope never to have a reason. I fully understand the reluctance of individuals and physicians alike to experiment with injections. Topical application, on the other hand, is a no-brainer. Short term ingestion of high doses carries a greatly reduced risk of side effects compared to high doses taken on a daily basis. There is much to gain and as close to nothing to lose as possible to making vitamin C and niacin central players in first aid.

6 Comments:

Great idea to apply topically, didn't know they were absorbed through the skin.

In the early days of vitamin research they looked at scar strength in relation to vitamin C levels. They found higher the C, the higher the scare strength. This work was done in guinea pigs, and scaling up to a human mass, the strongest scars were formed with a 20 gram vitamin C intake a day. However there would be a factor, based upon metabolic rate, which would reduce the 20 gram limit. Because guinea pigs metabolism is faster it would need more vitamin C per kg than a human per kg. If I come across a conversion factor I will let you know.

I take Jarrow Formulas Buffered Vitamin C w/ Citrus Bioflavonoids. I am sensitive to vitamin c, it flushes my system. This seems to do the trick. www.VitaminLab.Net has the best prices on the Jarrow brand which seems to work with my body the best.

And of course, vitamin c is important in collagen production, vital to rebuilding skin. In that regard, I wonder if N-aceytl-cysteine would be something to add to the mix? (It's another sulfur-containing facilitator of collagen and detoxification)

while mixing the Naicin and Vittamin C with a skin care product, I got some of the preparation in the wound. I experienced no discomfort because of neuropathy. I'm not having any problems, but wondered if this is a problem ? I'm trying to heal a foot injury, I use soap and water to cleanse and triple antibiotic before learning about the products. I was just searching for alternatives.